Image: Hilton Cartwrights and Archer's magnificent play led Southern Brave to victory / © ESPNCricinfo
Southern Brave’s batting effort began cautiously after Welsh Fire opted to bowl first on a pitch that offered some assistance to the bowlers, as this was the contest where the fans saw a last-ball thriller.
The Brave openers, James Vince and Leus du Plooy, took to the crease aiming to build a solid foundation. However, the Fire’s bowling attack, led by Matt Henry, struck early. Henry bowled a tight line, conceding just 5 runs in his 20 balls while picking up two crucial wickets. Du Plooy was the first to fall, managing only 2 runs off 6 balls before edging a delivery to Saif Zaib at slip in the 14th ball. The early breakthrough put Brave under pressure at 8/1.
Jason Roy joined Vince, but his stay was brief and unproductive. Struggling to find his rhythm, Roy scored 4 runs off 12 balls before falling to Henry in the 28th ball, caught by Tom Abell. At 18/2, Brave were in a precarious position, needing to rebuild. James Coles injected some momentum with a brisk 14 off 10 balls, including three boundaries, but his aggressive approach ended when he was caught by Steven Smith off Paul Walter’s bowling in the 43rd ball, leaving Brave at 39/3.
Laurie Evans, the wicketkeeper, came in to stabilize the innings alongside Vince, who was anchoring the effort. The pair added 24 runs, with Vince looking composed for his 29 off 26 balls, hitting three fours. However, just as the partnership was gaining traction, Evans fell for 8 off 9 balls, caught by Jonny Bairstow off Ajeet Singh Dale in the 61st ball. Vince followed soon after, dismissed for 29 by Chris Green, caught by Zaib in the 71st ball, leaving Brave at 71/5.
With the innings collapsing, Michael Bracewell and Hilton Cartwright began a recovery. Bracewell played a supporting role, scoring 8 off 12 balls with one six, before being caught by Bairstow off David Payne in the 82nd ball. At 94/6, Brave needed a spark, and Cartwright provided it. The 26th ball, caught by Zaib in the 71st ball, left Brave at 71/5. With the innings teetering, Michael Bracewell and Hilton Cartwright began a recovery. Bracewell played a supporting role, scoring 8 off 12 balls with one six, before being caught by Bairstow off David Payne in the 82nd ball.
At 94/6, Brave needed a spark, and Cartwright provided it. The Australian all-rounder unleashed a stunning assault, remaining unbeaten on 51 off just 19 balls. His knock included two fours and five towering sixes, transforming the innings from a shaky position to a respectable total. Cartwright’s aggression was particularly evident in the final 20 balls, where he plundered 36 runs, including three sixes off Paul Walter and Ajeet Singh Dale. His strike rate of 268.42 was a testament to his dominance, as he single-handedly lifted Brave’s score. Chris Jordan and Craig Overton couldn’t keep up with Cartwright’s pace.
Jordan scored 2 off 3 balls before being caught by Walter off Payne in the 91st ball, and Overton managed just 1 off 2 balls before falling to Green in the 97th ball. Jofra Archer remained not out on 1 off 1 ball, as the Brave finished at 129/8. The innings saw 9 extras (5 leg byes, 4 wides), with Welsh Fire’s bowlers sharing the wickets. Payne and Green took 2 wickets each, while Henry, Dale, and Walter claimed one apiece.
Henry’s economical spell (0.25 runs per ball) was a highlight, though Dale and Walter proved expensive, conceding 1.70 and 1.80 runs per ball, respectively. Cartwright’s late blitz ensured Brave had a fighting total, setting the stage for a thrilling chase. The innings showcased a mix of early struggles, cautious rebuilding, and an explosive finish, giving Brave a defendable 129 on a challenging surface.
Chasing 130 in 100 balls, Welsh Fire needed a strong start to stay in the hunt for a crucial win. Openers Steven Smith and Jonny Bairstow came out aggressively, looking to dominate the powerplay. Bairstow set the tone, smashing 22 off 10 balls, including four boundaries and a six, before Craig Overton had him caught by Leus du Plooy in the 12th ball. The early loss at 24/1 didn’t deter Fire, as Luke Wells joined Smith to keep the scoreboard ticking. Smith struck three fours in his 13 off 7 balls, but Jofra Archer dismissed him in the 25th ball, caught by Vince, leaving Fire at 46/3 after Wells had fallen for 9 off 7 balls to Archer in the 22nd ball.
Tom Abell, the Fire captain, struggled to get going, scoring 2 off 3 balls before Chris Jordan had him caught by Laurie Evans in the 31st ball, reducing Fire to 50/4. The powerplay yielded 46 runs but cost three wickets, putting Fire on the back foot. Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Saif Zaib then steadied the innings, adding 32 runs for the fifth wicket. Zaib played with intent, scoring 21 off 19 balls with a four and a six, before Overton dismissed him in the 59th ball, caught by Jordan. At 82/5, Fire needed 48 runs off 41 balls.
Kohler-Cadmore anchored the chase, scoring a steady 25 off 28 balls with one four, but lacked the firepower to accelerate. Paul Walter’s brief stay yielded 2 off 7 balls before Archer struck again in the 70th ball, with Vince taking the catch. Chris Green, who had bowled well earlier, managed 6 off 5 balls before James Coles bowled him in the 78th ball, leaving Fire at 101/7. Kohler-Cadmore’s resistance ended in the 92nd ball, caught by Cartwright off Coles, with Fire at 116/8.
David Payne and Matt Henry battled to the end, finishing not out on 8 off 9 balls and 6 off 5 balls, respectively. However, Fire ended at 125/8, falling 4 runs short of the target. The innings included 11 extras (1 bye, 1 leg bye, 9 wides), but Brave’s bowlers, led by Archer’s 3 wickets for 20 runs in 20 balls, kept the pressure on. Overton and Coles took 2 wickets each, while Jordan chipped in with one. Reece Topley and Michael Bracewell went wicketless but bowled economically, conceding 1.40 and 0.90 runs per ball, respectively.
Fire reached 50 runs in 29 balls but lost momentum after the power play. A strategic timeout at 73/4 in 50 balls saw Kohler-Cadmore and Zaib at the crease, but their cautious approach couldn’t match the required run rate. The 100-run mark came in 77 balls, but the mounting pressure and regular wickets derailed the chase. Archer’s pace and Coles’ spin proved decisive, with Brave’s fielders, including two catches each by Vince and Cartwright, backing their bowlers superbly.
When the Welsh Fire (Men) faced a target of 130 runs in 100 balls, the game’s defining moment came early, courtesy of Jofra Archer’s brilliance. In a high-pressure clash, Archer struck a massive blow by dismissing the dangerous Steven Smith for 13 runs off 7 balls. Smith, who had started aggressively with a strike rate of 185.71, smashing three boundaries, looked set to dominate. However, Archer’s fiery pace and precision turned the tide.
On the 25th ball, he delivered a sharp, well-directed delivery that Smith edged to James Vince, ending his brief but explosive innings. This wicket, Archer’s first of three in his spell of 20 balls, where he conceded just 20 runs, swung momentum firmly in favour of the bowling side. His economy rate of 1.00 runs per ball was outstanding, showcasing his ability to control the game. The dismissal of Smith, a key batsman, triggered a collapse, with Welsh Fire losing wickets steadily, finishing at 125/8.
Being the standout performer for Southern Brave (Men) in their 100-ball match, Hilton Cartwright earned the title of TCNI’s Hero of the Day with a blazing knock of 51 not out off just 19 balls. Facing a tough situation with his team struggling at 126/8 after 97 balls, Cartwright’s explosive batting turned the tide. His innings, packed with two fours and five towering sixes, boasted an incredible strike rate of 268.42.
Coming in at a critical moment, with wickets falling steadily as Southern Brave lost key players like James Vince (29 off 26) and Laurie Evans (8 off 9), Cartwright’s fearless approach provided a much-needed spark. His quickfire 51 lifted the team to a respectable total of 129/8, despite early setbacks like Leus du Plooy’s 2 off 6 and Jason Roy’s 4 off 12. The opposition bowlers, including Matt Henry (2 for 5) and David Payne (2 for 25), kept things tight, but Cartwright’s aggressive strokeplay, especially against Ajeet Singh Dale and Paul Walter, stole the show.